T-state active site of aspartate transcarbamylase: crystal structure of the carbamyl phosphate and L-alanosine ligated enzyme

Biochemistry. 2006 Jan 17;45(2):346-52. doi: 10.1021/bi051543u.

Abstract

An X-ray diffraction study to 2.0 A resolution shows that this enzyme, ATCase, is in the T-state (the c3 to c3 distance is 45.2 A) when ATCase is bound to carbamyl phosphate (CP) and to L-alanosine (an analogue of aspartate). This result strongly supports the kinetic results that alanosine did not inhibit the carbamylation of aspartate in the normal reaction of native ATCase plus CP and aspartate [Baillon, J., Tauc, P., and Hervé, G. (1985) Biochemistry 24, 7182-7187]. The structure further reveals that the phosphate of CP is 4 A away from its known position in the R-state and is in the T-state position of P(i) in a recent study of ATCase complexed with products, phosphate (P(i)) and N-carbamyl-L-aspartate [Huang, J., and Lipscomb, W. N. (2004) Biochemistry 43, 6422-6426]. Moreover, the alanosine position in this T-state is somewhat displaced from that expected for its analogue, aspartate, from the R-state position. The relations of these structural aspects to the kinetics are presented.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Alanine / analogs & derivatives
  • Alanine / chemistry
  • Alanine / metabolism
  • Aspartate Carbamoyltransferase / chemistry*
  • Aspartate Carbamoyltransferase / metabolism
  • Binding Sites
  • Carbamyl Phosphate / chemistry*
  • Carbamyl Phosphate / metabolism
  • Crystallization
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Escherichia coli / enzymology
  • Ligands
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary

Substances

  • Ligands
  • alanosine
  • Carbamyl Phosphate
  • Aspartate Carbamoyltransferase
  • Alanine

Associated data

  • PDB/2AIR